If your going to be seriously involved in opera, there are moments when it is really kind of amusing. Insofar as time moves on, nothing changes. The hunger to take everything to the nth degree, regardless of the silly factor seems to be wired into us. Particulary where our entertainments are concerned. And so goes the castrati in opera.
The Roman Catholic church (through ‘St Paul’) in its continuing campaign to suborn the female sex, determined that women were expressly forbidden to sing in church in the words; “mulier taceat in ecclesia”. An interdiction that lasted everywhere until the 17th century, and in some places much later. It was made clear that women who merely sang in public would give offense and be a scandal to piety. Given the central role of the church, such a pronouncement simply became unwritten law, which no average individual would dare to flaunt. To be sure, there were indeed female singers in opera who acheived a level of fame from time to time when the church did not outright ban them, but only alongside a licentuous notoriety which was the price these women carried as performers. But what was to be done for the church to acheive those sonorously delightful higher registers? Boys were obviously out of the question (yes there was a day in the Catholic church) because they were mishcievous… and besides, by the time they had learnt their job their voices were usually ready to crack.
Farinelli in real life
Excerpt from the biographical film Farinelli Il Castrato
Enter the castrati stage right.
The initial worry, though not the least morally, was figuring out what was the penultimate moment to perform the operation in which the best vocal results could be attained. As it happened if the operation occurred before puberty there was little risk of the subsequent grown male achieving an erect status, whereas post puberty was clearly a different tale (although not relavant to this post, the Catholic church also made it illegal for a castrato to marry as they could no longer pro create). What I find most humorous about the whole situation created by the Catholic church, is that the finest castrato voices didn’t bother with the church as they went on to great acclaim in the opera. It was the castrati of lesser (the majority) voices that ended up in the church choirs. Naturally the Catholic church did not openly condone castration, and as a matter of fact anyone known to be connected with this operation was punished with excommunication. The filthy reality however, was that every church utilised castrati including the finest especially reserved for the Pope’s private chapel. There were known to be over 200 practising castrati in the churches of Rome alone during the 1780′s. Why you may ask? Because without the castrati singing in their choirs (who were the main attraction), attendance would fall through the floor… along with the monies that went into the church coffers.
In their period, the castrati were nothing short of superstars. Castrati brought to the music agility, stunning fioriture at breath taking speed, the most difficult embellishments..all at full voice. Perhaps modern audiences were able to witness this magic through the extraordinary voice of Miss Sills as seen here.The finest castrato voice without reserve is said to be that of Carlo Broschi popularly known as Farinelli, or so it seems that is what comes down to us today. The reality is, there were several great castrato singers who had huge fan bases and were all the toast of Europe at one time or another. Grossi popularly known as Siface, Carestini popularly known as Cusanino, Bernardi popularly known as Senesino, Porporino, Nicolo popularly knownas Nicolino, Annibal, Manzuoli, Monticelli, Bernacchi, and Balatri. These are off the top of my head. Occasionally an audience would witness a spectacular event where two great castrati would appear on the same stage. There is the notorius contest in 1727 where both Farinelli and Bernacchi appeared in Orlandini’s La Fedelta Coronata in Bologna (Bernacchi held the hometown advantage). Farinelli thinking to astonish by his agility, put all of his most elaborate cadenza; but Bernacchi whose aria followed, precisely matched all of the younger Farinelli’s graces, executing them with polish and ease, and then added some extra fioriture of his own. Bitchy little bit of business there…the story is told here.
Carestini
Senesino
All composers, (Handel in particular) sought the use of the castrati naturally within their works. Parts were specifically written for them; Ariodante, Rinaldo, Arsace, Idaspe, Orfeo, etc. Modern audiences now hear these roles generally performed via the use of a mezzo soprano voice which handles the notes adequately without much need for transposition. That is not to say a mezzo soprano voice and castrato voice are consonant. This could not be further from reality. What is understood about the castrato voice is that it clearly owned masculine qualities with the natural placement at a higher register in full voice with no falsetto. I believe a muscular counter tenor is better placed to interpret these roles, however the counter tenor voice has clearly not established itself as fashionable to modern tastes. There also exists a natural male voice known as the male soprano which is capable of generally singing 1/6 th high then that of a counter tenor. The male soprano voice is capable of rising to a full bodied C without falestto.
Here is the only example of an actual castrati voice. Mr. Moreschi however is long past his prime, nor owned a particularly pleasant voice. The style is clearly correct to the period of the late Victorian era.
Mr Moreschi the last castrato, fittingly sings “Let us pray for the Pontiff”
Here is a current example of the male soprano voice.
Mr Maniaci interprets Handel
This post is dedicated to the memory of my first artistic mentor, Mr. Art Topshee.
UPDATE:
Something really excellent, yet bittersweet occured in the life of Crew Mantle this morning. To really appreciate its meaning, I will publish extracts from an extremely private correspondance I had with the wife of Mr. Art Topshee before COMMANDOpera went live…..
Many years back I was a student at XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX High School. Your husband taught Theatre Arts in a place that was not kind to anyone who was artistically inclined. I was such a young man. His classroom was a refuge, and he a spectacular mentor who influenced many to approach life more fully and openly. The wisdom he imparted to us in his unique way, I believe, found a resonance in otherwise closed young minds.
My own subsequent journey has been quite spectacular, and could never have occurred had it not been for the confidence he instilled. Over the years I have thought often of him, and and hoped one day to contact him. He had this fantasy if you will, borne I believe from some play by Arthur Miller, where students who have grown, return to visit to chat of the old days. Well on the occasion when I would be in XXXXXXX, XXXX was no longer, and the internet with its accessibility did not then exist; I would never find him again.
Yesterday, unaccountably, while on Google for some reason I encountered his mothers obituary. You cannot imagine my mortification as I read it. I searched and searched for something to show me this man existed in his own right somewhere. There was nothing.
I have been retired for a few years beginning at the ridiculous age of 48. Over the years I have had a significant connection with the world of opera, as a private matter. In a few days I will be launching my blog which is much anticipated around the globe. The site iswww.commandopera.com . There you will find among the posts one that is written on the subject of the castrati. I ask that you particularly view the clip on Farinelli, as the actor in the piece looks much like me when I knew your husband. I have dedicated this post to the memory of your husband.
The day will arrive when the name Art Topshee is googled, he will be found.You have my word.
The response from Mrs. Art Topshee;
How I was touched by your email this morning. And how odd the quirks of this world are that you would find his Mum’s obituary on Google just at the time you were remembering him and starting your blog.(Impressive so far, just the music and the pictures alone!) Art died 9 years ago on October 4th and all of the grief and sadness came crashing through as I read your email. He would have been so delighted to have heard from you and know what the time in his classroom had meant to you.Indeed, I still have the Voice Mail from another student who called a few days after he died. He cared so deeply about the young people in his classroom and valued everything they were, building relationships that mattered with them and validating them for who they were and what they would become. He hated the administration side of it all and the rules and regulations, knowing so well that there was much more that went on in a classroom that made a difference besides the provincial curriculum and what was in the textbooks. He did such an amazing job of opening things up for people and was always clear in his assessments if something was a ‘piece of shit’! He loved Opera along with many other forms of music and even worked on some very very early Opera Lyra productions though the singers complained about the Gitanes that he smoked.
Your email has opened a whole stream of conscious memory for me this morning. He would have loved this crisp cold day and would have headed for a walk in the XXXXXXX and stopped to pick up great bread on his way home to a wee dram of Laphroig and perhaps a viewing of the Magnificient Seven! He was badly injured in a cross country skiing accident in 1989 and ended up with an even more distinctive walk than he already had! He showed such grace and strength and dignity in his dying and gave us all the gift of his love which we will always hold and treasure and that keeps us safe. We ended his obituary with “So long, you ancient pelican” a line from the film The High and the Mighty with John Wayne. It said so much on so many levels…he never wanted any fuss or attention but he would have been so deeply moved by what you have written and what you are doing. The sadness comes from him not being able to read what you have said: the joy comes from what you have made of the gifts you were given and the role he played in giving you the surge of self to take those gifts where you have.
The Castrati in Opera Revisited
If your going to be seriously involved in opera, there are moments when it is really kind of amusing. Insofar as time moves on, nothing changes. The hunger to take everything to the nth degree, regardless of the silly factor seems to be wired into us. Particulary where our entertainments are concerned. And so goes the castrati in opera.
The Roman Catholic church (through ‘St Paul’) in its continuing campaign to suborn the female sex, determined that women were expressly forbidden to sing in church in the words; “mulier taceat in ecclesia”. An interdiction that lasted everywhere until the 17th century, and in some places much later. It was made clear that women who merely sang in public would give offense and be a scandal to piety. Given the central role of the church, such a pronouncement simply became unwritten law, which no average individual would dare to flaunt. To be sure, there were indeed female singers in opera who acheived a level of fame from time to time when the church did not outright ban them, but only alongside a licentuous notoriety which was the price these women carried as performers. But what was to be done for the church to acheive those sonorously delightful higher registers? Boys were obviously out of the question (yes there was a day in the Catholic church) because they were mishcievous… and besides, by the time they had learnt their job their voices were usually ready to crack.
Farinelli in real life
Excerpt from the biographical film Farinelli Il Castrato
Enter the castrati stage right.
The initial worry, though not the least morally, was figuring out what was the penultimate moment to perform the operation in which the best vocal results could be attained. As it happened if the operation occurred before puberty there was little risk of the subsequent grown male achieving an erect status, whereas post puberty was clearly a different tale (although not relavant to this post, the Catholic church also made it illegal for a castrato to marry as they could no longer pro create). What I find most humorous about the whole situation created by the Catholic church, is that the finest castrato voices didn’t bother with the church as they went on to great acclaim in the opera. It was the castrati of lesser (the majority) voices that ended up in the church choirs. Naturally the Catholic church did not openly condone castration, and as a matter of fact anyone known to be connected with this operation was punished with excommunication. The filthy reality however, was that every church utilised castrati including the finest especially reserved for the Pope’s private chapel. There were known to be over 200 practising castrati in the churches of Rome alone during the 1780′s. Why you may ask? Because without the castrati singing in their choirs (who were the main attraction), attendance would fall through the floor… along with the monies that went into the church coffers.
In their period, the castrati were nothing short of superstars. Castrati brought to the music agility, stunning fioriture at breath taking speed, the most difficult embellishments..all at full voice. Perhaps modern audiences were able to witness this magic through the extraordinary voice of Miss Sills as seen here.The finest castrato voice without reserve is said to be that of Carlo Broschi popularly known as Farinelli, or so it seems that is what comes down to us today. The reality is, there were several great castrato singers who had huge fan bases and were all the toast of Europe at one time or another. Grossi popularly known as Siface, Carestini popularly known as Cusanino, Bernardi popularly known as Senesino, Porporino, Nicolo popularly knownas Nicolino, Annibal, Manzuoli, Monticelli, Bernacchi, and Balatri. These are off the top of my head. Occasionally an audience would witness a spectacular event where two great castrati would appear on the same stage. There is the notorius contest in 1727 where both Farinelli and Bernacchi appeared in Orlandini’s La Fedelta Coronata in Bologna (Bernacchi held the hometown advantage). Farinelli thinking to astonish by his agility, put all of his most elaborate cadenza; but Bernacchi whose aria followed, precisely matched all of the younger Farinelli’s graces, executing them with polish and ease, and then added some extra fioriture of his own. Bitchy little bit of business there…the story is told here.
Carestini
Senesino
All composers, (Handel in particular) sought the use of the castrati naturally within their works. Parts were specifically written for them; Ariodante, Rinaldo, Arsace, Idaspe, Orfeo, etc. Modern audiences now hear these roles generally performed via the use of a mezzo soprano voice which handles the notes adequately without much need for transposition. That is not to say a mezzo soprano voice and castrato voice are consonant. This could not be further from reality. What is understood about the castrato voice is that it clearly owned masculine qualities with the natural placement at a higher register in full voice with no falsetto. I believe a muscular counter tenor is better placed to interpret these roles, however the counter tenor voice has clearly not established itself as fashionable to modern tastes. There also exists a natural male voice known as the male soprano which is capable of generally singing 1/6 th high then that of a counter tenor. The male soprano voice is capable of rising to a full bodied C without falestto.
Here is the only example of an actual castrati voice. Mr. Moreschi however is long past his prime, nor owned a particularly pleasant voice. The style is clearly correct to the period of the late Victorian era.
Mr Moreschi the last castrato, fittingly sings “Let us pray for the Pontiff”
Here is a current example of the male soprano voice.
Mr Maniaci interprets Handel
This post is dedicated to the memory of my first artistic mentor, Mr. Art Topshee.
UPDATE:
Something really excellent, yet bittersweet occured in the life of Crew Mantle this morning. To really appreciate its meaning, I will publish extracts from an extremely private correspondance I had with the wife of Mr. Art Topshee before COMMANDOpera went live…..
Many years back I was a student at XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX High School. Your husband taught Theatre Arts in a place that was not kind to anyone who was artistically inclined. I was such a young man. His classroom was a refuge, and he a spectacular mentor who influenced many to approach life more fully and openly. The wisdom he imparted to us in his unique way, I believe, found a resonance in otherwise closed young minds.
My own subsequent journey has been quite spectacular, and could never have occurred had it not been for the confidence he instilled. Over the years I have thought often of him, and and hoped one day to contact him. He had this fantasy if you will, borne I believe from some play by Arthur Miller, where students who have grown, return to visit to chat of the old days. Well on the occasion when I would be in XXXXXXX, XXXX was no longer, and the internet with its accessibility did not then exist; I would never find him again.
Yesterday, unaccountably, while on Google for some reason I encountered his mothers obituary. You cannot imagine my mortification as I read it. I searched and searched for something to show me this man existed in his own right somewhere. There was nothing.
I have been retired for a few years beginning at the ridiculous age of 48. Over the years I have had a significant connection with the world of opera, as a private matter. In a few days I will be launching my blog which is much anticipated around the globe. The site is www.commandopera.com . There you will find among the posts one that is written on the subject of the castrati. I ask that you particularly view the clip on Farinelli, as the actor in the piece looks much like me when I knew your husband. I have dedicated this post to the memory of your husband.
The day will arrive when the name Art Topshee is googled, he will be found. You have my word.
The response from Mrs. Art Topshee;
How I was touched by your email this morning. And how odd the quirks of this world are that you would find his Mum’s obituary on Google just at the time you were remembering him and starting your blog.(Impressive so far, just the music and the pictures alone!) Art died 9 years ago on October 4th and all of the grief and sadness came crashing through as I read your email. He would have been so delighted to have heard from you and know what the time in his classroom had meant to you.Indeed, I still have the Voice Mail from another student who called a few days after he died. He cared so deeply about the young people in his classroom and valued everything they were, building relationships that mattered with them and validating them for who they were and what they would become. He hated the administration side of it all and the rules and regulations, knowing so well that there was much more that went on in a classroom that made a difference besides the provincial curriculum and what was in the textbooks. He did such an amazing job of opening things up for people and was always clear in his assessments if something was a ‘piece of shit’! He loved Opera along with many other forms of music and even worked on some very very early Opera Lyra productions though the singers complained about the Gitanes that he smoked.
Your email has opened a whole stream of conscious memory for me this morning. He would have loved this crisp cold day and would have headed for a walk in the XXXXXXX and stopped to pick up great bread on his way home to a wee dram of Laphroig and perhaps a viewing of the Magnificient Seven! He was badly injured in a cross country skiing accident in 1989 and ended up with an even more distinctive walk than he already had! He showed such grace and strength and dignity in his dying and gave us all the gift of his love which we will always hold and treasure and that keeps us safe. We ended his obituary with “So long, you ancient pelican” a line from the film The High and the Mighty with John Wayne. It said so much on so many levels…he never wanted any fuss or attention but he would have been so deeply moved by what you have written and what you are doing. The sadness comes from him not being able to read what you have said: the joy comes from what you have made of the gifts you were given and the role he played in giving you the surge of self to take those gifts where you have.
Sono rivendicato.